Beet-harvesting machine.



W; H. BAILEY & H. W. GOODB.. BEET HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED 00111, 1913.

Lmjl@ Patented Feb.2,1915.

SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WVTNESSES )NVENTORS (75M. y t f7 4M. my?.

W. H. BAILEY & H. W. GOODE. BEET HARVBSTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T. I1, 191s.

WITNESSESI Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

yUNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

WILLIAM'. H. DAILEY AND HENRY W. GOODE, OF VAN WERT, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE VAN WERT BEET HARVESTER COMPANY, OF VAN WERT, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BEET-HABVESTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

To whom t may concern:

Be it known that ive, WILLIAM H. DAILEY and HENRY W. Gooon, citizens' of theUnited States, and residents of Van Wert, in the county of Van Wert and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Beet- Harvesting Machine; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters Lof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to the topping mechanism of beet harvestlng machines, but is not restricted to such use as it may be used in any connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

In the harvesting of sugar beets it is quite important, if not essential, to/cut o. substantially all the top portions of beets which are exposed to the sun and weather, and as the depth of such exposed portions varies considerably for successive beets, it has heretofore been necessary, so far as we are aware,v to retop the beets by hand after being initially topped and dug, thus entailing a considerable amount of extra expense for 4such work.

The object of our invention is the provision, in combination with a gage shoe and cutter of machines of this character, of simple and efficient means for effecting a relative automatic adjustment Iof said shoe and cutter to vary the space between their adjacent edges as the gage shoe rides over the tops of successive beets having exposed portions of various depths, wherebyV more or less of the beet top will be cut away as the beets project a greater or less distance above the ground.

The invention is fully, described in the following specification, and' while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment' in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof isillustrated in the accompanying y drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention with portions broken away, Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the portion of the machine comprising the invention with the relatively movable parts shown in different positions in dotted and full lines, and Fig. 3'is a front'sectional elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2. y

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the main frame portion ofA the machine to which' the customary tongue 2 is attached and which is supported' at its rear end by a pair of wheels 3, one only of which is shown, and a connecting axle 4. A supplemental. frame comprising the two transversely spaced longitudinally extending bars 5-5 is carried at its rear end in any suitable manner by the axle 4 and hasits forward end supported by a yoke or frame part 6 depending from the frame 1. As the construction and manner of'mounting and 4supporting the supplemental4 frame 5 forms no part 'of our present invention the same will not be specifically described.

The gage shoe which is intended to ride over the tops of the beets is designated 7 and is carried at the forward end of a pair of arms or liars 8, which extend rearward and upward from said shoe and pivot at their rear ends to the respective side bars 5 of the supplemental frame, as at 9. A

.chain or other suitable means 10 connects the forward end portion of the bars 8 or one of them to the supplemental frame 5-5 to limit the lowering of the gage shoe relative tosuch frame.

A topping member or cutter 11, in the present instance of the rotary disk type, or it may be of any suitable style as desired, is carried at the'rear of the gage shoe 7 in spaced relation thereto by a shaft 12. This shaft is inclined relative toa vertical plane to place the cutter on :1n-incline. as shown. and extendsl upwardl from the cutter being mounted at its upper end for free axial and rotary movements in a bearing-head or yoke 14, which is disposed intermediate the supplemental frame bars 5-5 and is journaled or trunnioned at its ends in suitable bearings 15 rising from the respective bars 5, thus enabling the shaft to have swinging movements longitudinally of `the machine with the yoke trunnions or aXis as its swinging axis. -A bevel-gear 16 isfeathered to the shaft 12 within a portion of the bearing yoke 141 and coacts with such yoke to prevent a .longitudinal movement of the shaft therein. A companion bevel-gear-17 is carried by a drive shaft 18 within a portion of the bearing-yoke in mesh with the gear 16.

The shaft 18 projects axially from one side of the yoke and, in the present instance, carries a sprocket-wheel 19 at its outer end which is connected by a chain 20 to a drive sprocket-wheel 21 that is suitably connected to and driven from the .axle 4, which is intended to turn with the wheels 3. It will, of

20 course, be understood that any suitable or convenient means may be provided for driving the shaft 12.

A cross-head 22 is pivotallycarried by the gage-shoe bars 8 between the same for 2 vertical swinging movements relative thereto and is loosely sleeved at its central portion around the shaft 12, being prevented from longitudinal movements thereon by collars 22a, 22a, which are fixed to the shaft above and below the yoke sleeve. It is evident that this .manner of mounting the cutter shaft 12 and connecting such shaft and the gage-shoe 7 will permit the gage-shoe, as it passes over the tops of beets projecting different distances above the ground, to have rising and falling movements relative to the cutter and consequently vary the vertical space between the rear edge of the gage-shoe and the front or cutting 'edge of the cutter, 40 due to the shoe being spaced a greater distance than the cross-head 22 from the common pivot 9, so that the cutter will be permitted to take a deeper bite of a beet having a deep exposed portion than of a beet having a lesser exposed portion.

We wish 1t understood that our invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement ofv the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified inv the 5o claims.. Y

Havlng thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a'machine of the class described, a cutter member mounted for axial, rotary and swinging movements, andgage means having connection with said cutter and operable to vary the depth ofr` cut as it passes over articles o f uneven heights..

2. In combination, a frame, a gage means pivoted for swinging movements to said frame, and a cutter carried by said means intermediate its pivot and its articlecoacting portion whereby the article coacting 4portion of the gage means .and the cutter will have i different lengths of swinging movements when the means is swung on its pivot.

3. In combination, a frame, gage means pivoted to and extending forward from a part of said frame for swinging movements relative thereto, a cutter carried for rotary and swinging movements by said means and disposed intermediate the pivotand article coacting portion of the means for relative movements when the means is swung on its pivot.'

4. In combination, a frame, gage means pivoted to said frame for swinging moveing the space therebetween varied upon a swinging movement of the gage means.

v5. In combination, .a frame, a bearing member, and a gage means carried for relative swinging movements' by the frame and having their swinging axes parallel, a shaft mounted in said member for rotary and axial movements relative thereto and for swinging movements therein, said shaft being pivotally connected to the gage means intermediate its swinging axis and free end whereby the axial and swinging movements bf the shaft are controlled by the movements of said means, and a cutter carried by the shaft.

6. In combination, a frame, a gage shoe having arms extending .therefrom and pivotally connected to the frame, a shaft pivotally -connected to said arms intermediate the pivot thereof and the gageshoe and hav? ing its axis intersecting the plane of prolower end of said shaft, and means gu1ding said shaft for axial movements and serving as a swinging pivot therefor whereb the gage shoe and cutter will have re ative movements to vary the space therebetween when the shoe is swung on its pivot.

7. In combination, a frame, a gage shoe carried for swinging movements by said yframe, a member pivotally' carried by said shoe intermediate its pivot and free end, a cutter carried by said member in adjacent relation to the article coacting portion of to cause the member and shoe to have relaswung on itspivot.

said shoe, and means guiding said member f 8. In combination, a frame, a gage shoe i pivotally carried by said frame and adapted to have rising and falling movements as 4it passes overarticles of unequal height,a

mmm@

shaft carried for rotary and swinging movo- In testimony wheroof, we have hoiolnmioV ments by said shoo intoimoate its amici@ signed our names to this specification in the in coasting portion and its pivot, n cuttr carpresence of two subscribing Witnesses. riedi by the lower end of suchshaft, means WVHJLAM H. DUJEY.

' swingingly carried by the frame an form- HENRY W. GDE.

ing a guide for said shaft, and means for Wiinessos: driving said shaft in any position of its @LEM V, Hom, movement. JnNNm WninmsoN. 

